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![]() Three Lärabar bars: from top to bottom, Peanut Butter Cookie, Cashew Cookie, and Cherry Pie | |
Product type | Energy bars |
---|---|
Owner | General Mills |
Country | United States |
Introduced | April 14, 2003 |
Markets | United States, Canada, United Kingdom |
Previous owners | Humm Foods |
Website | www |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Larabar.jpg/220px-Larabar.jpg)
Lärabar is a brand of energy bars produced by General Mills. The bars come in a variety of flavors such as Apple Pie, Carrot Cake, Cinnamon Roll, and Mint Chip Brownie.[1]
History
Lärabar was created by Denver native Lara Merriken, who was looking to make a "very healthy product that tasted delicious".[2][3] According to the General Mills website, Merriken's inspiration for the snack occurred during a hiking trip in 2000 through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.[4] As she was running down the mountain, she was inspired to create a food bar that was made out of only fruits, nuts and spices.[5] The umlaut on the ä is decorative.[6][7]
The bars were first introduced for sale in the United States on April 14, 2003. The original flavors were Cherry Pie, Apple Pie, Cashew Cookie, Banana Bread, and Chocolate Coconut Chew.[8]
In 2008, General Mills acquired the original producer of Lärabar, Humm Foods.[9] The product line has been expanded to more than 30 varieties, including high-protein bars and bars for children.[10]
In 2019, the Lärabar range launched in the United Kingdom.[11]
Flavors
The thirty Lärabar flavors offered are:
- Almond Butter Chocolate Chip
- Almond Cookie
- Apple Pie
- Banana Bread
- Banana Chocolate Chip
- Blueberry Muffin
- Carrot Cake
- Cashew Cookie
- Cherry Pie
- Chocolate Chip Brownie
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl
- Cinnamon Raisin Cookie
- Cinnamon Roll
- Cocoa Coconut Chew
- Coconut Chocolate Chip
- Double Chocolate Truffle
- Gingerbread (Only available at Christmas)
- Key Lime Pie
- Lemon Bar
- Mint Chip Brownie
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Peanut Butter Banana
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
- Peanut Butter Cookie
- Pumpkin Pie (Only available at Halloween)
- Pecan Pie
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Snickerdoodle (Only available at Christmas)
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip
Reviews
An April 2007 review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised Lärabar, writing "The bar is moist and chewy, tart and tasty. None of the medicinal tastes of other protein bars."[12] The bar's "authentic" taste and use as a breakfast meal have also been complimented.[13]
Recalls
In January 2009, General Mills voluntarily recalled Peanut Butter Cookie flavor Lärabar for fear of salmonella contamination. No illnesses were reported.[14][15]
References
- ^ "Lärabar-Our Products". www.Larabar.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "LÄRABAR - About - History - Founder, Lara Merriken". larabar.com. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Raz, Guy (28 October 2019). "LÄRABAR: Lara Merriken". How I Built This. NPR.org.
- ^ "General Mills: Lärabar organic-natural brand". GeneralMills.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ "How One Hike Led To The Massive Success Of LARABAR". The Huffington Post. December 18, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Lärabar (2014-10-15). "The umlaut was added for fun - it's decorative". Retrieved 2019-11-21.
- ^ Bishop, Rachel Dix (2018-09-04). "Building Brands - Lärabar". Trademarkology. Stites & Harbison. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
- ^ "LÄRABAR - Our Story". www.Larabar.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
- ^ Davis, Joyzelle (June 10, 2008). "General Mills to buy local Larabar maker". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Forgrieve, Janet (23 July 2019). "How LÄRABAR Grew By Keeping It Simple". Forbes.
- ^ "Popular US vegan snack brand LÄRABAR is launching in the UK". veganfoodandliving.co. 10 January 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ Downer, Elizabeth (April 19, 2007). "Fresh Find: Larabar". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- ^ Arain, Fauzia (January 6, 2011). "Shelf Life". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ Pema, Tenzin (January 19, 2009). "UPDATE 1-General Mills recalls 2 peanut butter-flavored products". Forbes. Reuters. Retrieved October 21, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "General Mills: One of the World's largest food Companies". GeneralMills.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.